Slàinte mhath (pronounced "slawn-ja-va") is Scottish Gaelic for "good health." It's the perfect way to cheers a glass of Scotch or a cup of tea.
Thankfully, at Torra Tea, you don't have to choose between the two.
This August, Kathryn Soady (pronounced so-AY-dee) opened the stylish Scottish high tea shop and craft cocktail bar in a shopping district off Dishman Mica Road. It features nearly 40 loose-leaf teas and almost as many whiskeys, plus small plates of sweet or savory comfort foods, from freshly baked scones and finger sandwiches for afternoon tea to short ribs and meat pies for heartier, pub-inspired bites.
It's all served in a swanky dining room that ditches kitschy cottagecore for more streamlined, gold-gilded glam.
"My mantra is 'Tradition with the unexpected,'" Soady says.
On one side of the restaurant, picture windows look out on basalt outcroppings of the Dishman Hills Natural Area. The opposite wall is painted a dark blue, with a mural of misty mountains and a framed picture of an abandoned, maybe enchanted, Scottish castle. It doesn't take too much imagination to hear bagpipes (except for one day a few weeks ago, when there legitimately was a bagpipe player playing outside the shop — and he's promised to come back!).
But Frankie, the deer head on the wall, is polished brass, with silly glasses and a pipe hanging from his mouth. He's always available for selfies. The blend of new and old, sweet and savory, bottles and kettles is surprising, but also just right.
"When you think traditionally in Scotland about their hot toddies, it's a blend of whiskey and tea, right?" Soady says. "So it's actually turned out to be rather fabulous."
On every tea canister behind the bar, there's a list of measurements, temperatures and times.
"There's a little bit of science behind brewing a good cup of tea," Soady says, heating a teapot and cup to the exact warmth for the blackberry fig tea she's about to brew. The black tea brews differently than a white, yellow, oolong or green tea.
This is Soady's first food venture, but she's used to science. Before coordinating tea times, Soady helped coordinate patient care as a physical therapist and health care operations executive.
"There are a lot of parallels to caregiving and being in the hospitality industry — how much you give of yourself to your customers or to your patient, just making people feel cared for," she says. "Whether it's our craft of providing good health care or whether it's our craft of providing fabulous food in an environment, there's a bit of an art and a science to both of them."
There are two ways to order meals at Torra Tea. You can choose from an assortment of small plates, lunch plates or entrees, then pair your own cuppa or cocktail if you like. Plates range from a savory snack of cheese, cherries and nuts ($8) or a Scottish oat cake with butter, chutney and fruit ($7), to a sandwich platter ($8) or savory pie with salad ($18), to bourbon maple short ribs ($34) or coddle, a traditional Irish dish with pearl barley, bacon, potatoes and banger-style sausages ($26).
Or, you can let Torra Tea do the pairing for you, and experience more of the care and thoughtfulness of a prepared tea service.
"Afternoon tea really is more British and came out of one of the queen's desires to have a little something to eat before supper time," Soady says. "A tea service is just designed to bring tea and some food together."
Each tea service is served with a whole pot of tea, brewed to perfection before it comes to the table. A Pick Me Up service ($9) brings out scones, homemade clotted cream, jam, and a choice of fruit kebab or yogurt parfait to accompany the tea of choice. A Sweetie or Savory Night-Cap (both $22) are charcuterie boards of fruits, cheeses and tasty things to end an evening with.
Afternoon Tea ($38) is a three-tiered service with sandwiches, scones and mini dessert pastries. For something closer to a meal, the Scottish High Tea ($48) offers heartier courses with soups and savory pies.
Even though Torra Tea has only been open about a month and a half, Soady is already planning autumnal updates to the menu, like a butternut bisque, a Canadian butter tart and fall spice tea cake.
And, of course, fall cocktails. In addition to whiskey, Torra Tea has every other classic spirit available. The mixologists behind the bar are just as comfortable creating your favorite negroni or gimlet as they are with guiding you toward your new favorite tea. But whiskey is a strong suit, so don't miss their three new cocktail additions for Old Fashioned Week from Oct. 11-20.
Torra is Scottish Gaelic for "from the castle." It's a rare but beautiful name for a girl that Soady found while perusing a baby name book. Soady gets her Scottish blood from both sides of her family. But she, like many other Scots, are still discovering their heritage.
"I've recently learned more history about Scotland," she says. "They have a lot of barren areas now because for a period of time they went through as a country, the ruling people pushed everybody out of the highlands to the coasts and the lowlands. So there are a lot of ancient ruins and places that are beautiful now. People are rediscovering the inside of the country more."
In a similar way, Torra Tea guests might discover for themselves that Scottish food is much more than haggis, that notorious pudding often made from sheep organs.
"When I looked at things that are common on menus, there's actually a lot of Indian flavor mixed in," Soady says. "That's why I have a chutney on my charcuterie board."
So whether you're sipping high tea around a table or savoring a moment alone with a nightcap and a good book, know that you're partaking in both a vintage and modern tradition. Slàinte mhath! ♦
Torra Tea • 11205 E. Dishman Mica Road, Spokane Valley • Open Tue-Sat 11 am-8 pm • torratea.com • 509-798-8432
